The present invention relates generally to transmitting amplified telecommunication signals from satellites. More particularly, the invention provides a method and system for controlling a phase of an amplifier, which is provided in a multi-port configuration. More particularly, the present invention provides a method and system for tracking and controlling a phase of amplifiers in a common pool, such as a Multi-Port Amplifier system (MPA) using a substantially non-intrusive phase detection technique. But it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability.
Telecommunication techniques have progressed through the years. From the early days, telecommunication signals traversed through hard wires and still do in many parts of the world. An example of a hard wire is the commonly known twisted pair, which is used throughout most homes in the United States of America. Optical cables are also used to transmit telecommunication signals. The optical cables transmit telecommunication signals at high speeds in a multiplexed manner. Other techniques use wireless transmission of telecommunication signals. Satellites have been used to transfer such signals at high speeds all over the world. Satellites include high powered amplifiers to increase an intensity of these signals for transmission from the satellite once the signals have been received from an antenna.
High powered amplifiers employed to generate beams of a multiple beam active transmitting phased array antenna often operate at the same power level. The power level required to generate one beam, however, is often different from the power level required to generate another beam. As a result, there is an inefficient use of power since some beams will have more power available than is needed to generate the beam than others. In an effort to solve the problem of inefficient power use, a common pool amplifier system, such as MPA, was developed.
A common pool amplifier system generates each beam by obtaining the power level necessary for each beam from a pool of amplifiers. The common pool amplifier system typically requires that each of the amplifiers in the system operate at the same phase. An amplifier having an incorrect phase affects the correct steering of beams, and thus, the overall utility of a multiple beam active transmitting phased array antenna employing the common pool amplifier system. Several techniques have been implemented to enable the operation of each amplifier at the same phase in a common pool amplifier system.
One technique involves manufacturing each amplifier that is to be employed in a common pool amplifier system with identical specifications. These common pool amplifiers are often called high precision amplifiers. Unfortunately, this technique suffers from many drawbacks. For example, manufacturing identical amplifiers has been costly and difficult to achieve. Additionally, once the amplifiers have been manufactured, a time consuming test process has often been required. Moreover, amplifiers originally manufactured to have identical phases, and tested to the same specification, deteriorate over time. This deterioration results in one or more amplifiers having phase error, which is often difficult to correct once the amplifiers have been placed in a satellite system.
Several techniques have been implemented in an effort to track and correct phase error of amplifiers that have developed due to deterioration of the amplifier over time. Trial and error is one such technique implemented. In the trial and error technique, the phase of each individual amplifier in the common pool is tracked. Upon identifying an amplifier that has developed phase error, the phase of the amplifier is manually corrected to correspond to the phase of the other amplifiers in the common pool of amplifiers. This method of tracking and correcting the phase of amplifiers is costly and time consuming since each individual amplifier must be physically tested and corrected.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system to improve communication techniques including amplifiers.